General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos

Take vegetarian tacos to a new level with these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos! Cauliflower florets are battered, fried and tossed with an easy homemade General Tso’s Sauce. Serve in tortillas with mashed avocado!

Since we moved to this city ten years ago, our favorite Chinese takeout restaurant has always been there for us. When somebody wasn’t feeling well, China Ruby’s wonton soup was there to soothe. After a long day when nobody felt like cooking, a delicious hot meal was just a phone call away. Truth be told, we took China Ruby for granted until just recently.

Last month, we walked by and saw a sign on the door that said they were closed for vacation. This is actually very normal for them – they always take an annual vacation around the time of Chinese New Year. But when one week turned into two weeks, and then a month, we started to get very worried.

The news in the community is that the owner, Tina (who we had a terrible habit of referring to simply as “Ruby”) is very ill and not expected to recover. We’re holding out hope that somehow this is just a fantastical rumor, but at this point it’s clear that something is very wrong. I think about her often and am hoping for the best.

It’s only been about a month, but we’re already missing Ruby’s General Tso’s Chicken something terribly. Knowing that I’ll never be able to recreate their delicious chicken recipe, I decided to try my hand at General Tso’s cauliflower.

The ingredients for these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos are easy to find at your grocery store!

corn or flour tortillas

avocados

cauliflower

sesame oil

garlic

ginger

soy sauce

rice vinegar

light brown sugar

tomato paste

cornstarch

vegetable broth

sambal oelek

all-purpose flour

baking powder

eggs

green onions

sesame seeds

About these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos:

It’s a good idea to get all of your ingredients prepped before you start frying the cauliflower. Make the General Tso’s Sauce and keep it on low heat, mash the avocados, and cut up the green onions. Cut the cauliflower into small florets, and then make the fry batter.

In batches, dip the cauliflower florets into the batter and then transfer to the hot oil in your frying pan. Transfer fried cauliflower to the oven on a baking pan fitting with a rack to keep warm.

After all cauliflower is fried, warm the tortillas in whatever way is most convenient to you – frying, microwave, or (my favorite way), warming them over a gas flame.

In a large bowl, toss cauliflower with sauce and then assemble your tacos. Enjoy!

General Tso's Cauliflower Tacos

Yield:6 servings

Prep Time:40 minutes

Cook Time:30 minutes

Take vegetarian tacos to a new level with these General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos! Cauliflower florets are battered, fried and tossed with an easy homemade General Tso’s Sauce. Serve in tortillas with mashed avocado!

Meanwhile, make the Fried Cauliflower: Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place cooling rack inside rimmed baking pan and place in oven. In large bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add flour, cornstarch, baking power and water; whisk until smooth.

Add about two inches of vegetable oil to a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high heat until oil reaches 350 degrees F (if you do not have a probe thermometer to check oil temperature, you can carefully drop a small bit of batter into oil. If it bubbles and rises to the top, the oil is hot enough to fry). Working in batches, dip cauliflower florets into batter, allowing excess batter to drip off before transferring to hot oil. Fry 4 to 6 minutes or until cauliflower is deep golden brown, turning frequently. As cauliflower finishes frying, use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper-towel lined plate, and then use plate to transfer cauliflower to rack-lined pan in oven. Repeat process with remaining cauliflower florets.

When all cauliflower is fried, place cauliflower in large bowl. Pour General Tso’s Sauce over cauliflower and toss to combine.

Assemble tacos by spreading tortillas with mashed avocado and topping with General Tso’s Cauliflower. Sprinkle with onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Home Chef Tip: Be sure to cut the cauliflower into very small florets. Remember that the florets will almost double in size once they are battered and fried!

3 comments on “General Tso’s Cauliflower Tacos”

I have two things to say about this post …
1) I thought it was absolutely delicious. The cauliflower stayed crispy and the sauce was spicy and tangy. Fusion done so well, my dear.
2) Your write-up about Tina was wonderful. I am so sad to hear of her passing. She was such a nice small business owner … with good food.

Hi, I’m Lori! I’m a Detroit-area culinary school graduate, food photographer, recipe developer and english muffin fanatic. This blog is where I post simple, yet special, original recipes for the "home chef" in all of us.